A well written novel especially if you enjoy a fast paced thriller. Deifinitely for people who enjoy international thrillers.

Good fast-paced thriller. Rambo's home but the sheriff is nowhere to be found. There's only one candidate to overturn the conspiracy and protect the innocent

Called home by the brother he hasn’t seen in years, Jonathan Hunter arrives just in time to witness his brother’s death and hear his dying words, cryptic clues which plunge Hunter headfirst into a nest of terrorists planning to execute a series of horrifying attacks.

Fortunately, Hunter is a ‘consultant’ for the CIA, tasked with taking care of the dirty, deniable jobs Uncle Sam can’t publicly admit to. If anyone can solve the puzzle in time to save those at risk, it’s Hunter.

This is a brilliantly plotted thrill ride with some fantastic characters and excellent execution. I really didn’t figure out the mastermind until the author revealed it to us, and although there were a fair number of characters in the book the characterisation of each was good enough I was never confused about who was who. Hunter is a wonderful and often hilarious protagonist; though extremely competent at what he does he also has some hysterical accidents such as the concealed rake in the grass hitting him in the face as he’s patrolling a property. His occasional asides - they’re too short to really call them inner monologues - are pithy and exceptionally funny. Apparently, this is the first in a series, which is honestly great news because Hunter is absolutely a hero I’d love to see more of.

While there was a great deal to like about this book, it wasn’t entirely without flaw. There were a number of grammatical issues which made me think it needed a thorough line editing. One of the worst, repeated several times, was the author’s fondness for the term ‘exploded’, as in “Her beautiful dark eyes exploded.” In a book with violent scenes of death and graphic violence, that really isn’t good imagery to use, and a good line editor would have helped make that into something less jarring.

It’s a real shame about the editing issues. Because of them, I have to knock this back from five down to four stars, but it’s still very much worth a read for the great plot and characters.

I have decided to not share a review for this book since i did not get along with the writing style, characters or plot and find think that any review i would be able to write would be negative and since i feel as if the problem lies with my personal preference and not the book itself, i decided its best not to review this book.

When a rogue CIA consultant goes AWOL from his Middle Eastern post in response to his brothers plea for help, he arrives just in time to witness his brothers murder. For years, Johnathon Hunter and his brother Kevin Mallory had not spoken - until Kevin's final words "Khalifah......Not Them......Maya." Perusing his brothers killer, Hunter stumbles into a nest of horrifying terrorist activity by Middle Eastern refugees, which spark a backlash across America.

This book does get a bit complicated, at times I did not know who was working for who. The book is well written, gripping and an action packed read. This book grabbed me from the beginning and kept me engaged in the story to the very last page.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Oceanview Publishing and the author Tj O'Connor for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Featuring a rogue CIA operative, Russian spies, Middle Eastern terrorists, this is a roller coaster of a read.
I enjoyed it, without it really really grabbing me and finding myself unable to put it down.
A solid, if not spectacular publication, I am glad I read it, although it did get a little confusing at times.

Businesses are outsourcing all kinds of tasks these days. So why not the CIA? They’ve had Jonathan Hunter (or is it Jonathon Mallory?) under contract for maybe 15 years. He and his older brother Kevin had to make do as high schoolers when their parents died in a car wreck. But after a year in college, Jonathon dropped out and joined the Marines, much to Kevin’s objections. After a few tours in the middle east, Jonathon got recruited to join the Agency, but after one assignment went bad and the press was all over it, he was let go. But almost as soon as he was dumped, he was hauled back to consult for the Agency.

For those 15 years, he and Kevin had no contact. A letter from Kevin arrives from out of the blue asking him to come home so he abandons his current assignment, grabs a half dozen passports and money on his way home.

Home is the hunt country of western Virginia. Winchester to be specific. He gets a text from Kevin with a location to meet. He arrives only to be in the middle of a shootout. Kevin gets shot just as Jonathon arrives and dies in his arms. In his police uniform.

A whole bunch of surprises await Jonathon. After 15 years on no contact, even to the point that most of Winchester had no idea of his existence, Jonathon has a lot to catch up on. Like Kevin’s Iranian wife. An adopted Iranian boy. A decrepit outlying town nicknamed Sand Town. A growing population of middle east immigrants. Some wanting to fit in. Others? Not so much. And they are being helped by a Russian and their own Consultant. All Jonathon wants to know is why Kevin was killed. But circumstances swirl around Jonathon forcing multiple stumbles.

The day after Kevin's death, a shopping mall is attacked. Next day, a school. Next day, Union Station in Washington, DC. Jonathon latches on to a clue each day and ends up in the middle of a slaughter. The cops are curious about Jonathon’s motives. Those attacks are just a distraction for the big assault coming. An attack so heinous that the American public will rise up to take out their vengeance on anyone who appears to be from the Middle East.

Hop on O’Connor’s back and enjoy this ride. Helluva fun tale full of action, layers, deceptions, twists, and surprises. Well worth finding this one, folks. Put the publication date on your calendar. It rocks.

Available 15 May 2018.

ECD

This book is fantastic. I highly recommend it.
Thank you Mr. O’Connor for introducing us to your character Jonathan Hunter.
The book is jam packed with action, weapons, F-bombs, good ol’ ass kicking, plenty of killing and full of great humor – what more can you ask for. You as the reader find yourself “LOL” courtesy of Jonathan Hunter’s wise-ass comments and his hilariously noted thoughts. The comments about the Six P’s and the ongoing mentions of his confiscated retirement account are priceless. The author takes you on a wild ride and has you constantly guessing as to the puppets versus who is actually pulling their strings.

Jonathan is out for revenge, he wants to find those responsible for Kevin’s murder. Kevin’s dying words to Jonathan are the clues ultimately leading to a deadly game of cat and mouse. Jonathan ultimately uncovers buried secrets and ghosts from the past all leading to a plot by a homegrown terrorist cell looking to unleash an evil far worse than 9/11. Is there a connection between Kevin’s murder and the terror operation known as Maya? To make matters worse, Jonathan finds himself in the crosshairs of the leader of the primary terrorist cell as well as an assassin for hire. He also finds himself among some other very colorful characters including a fellow whose eyeglasses are constantly in need of a good polishing, innocent refugees, double agents, traitors, corrupt officials and true masters of deception. In order to find and punish those responsible for killing Kevin and attempt to stop the coming Armageddon, Jonathan is going to need everything he has in his arsenal bag, but even that may not be enough. How does one stop hell on earth when you do not even know how many terror cells you are dealing with or what their intended targets are? This book is full of twists and turns, with danger lurking around every dark corner. Unsure of who is friend or foe, Jonathan’s latest assignment will by no means be a piece of cake, even with his unique skill set.
Attention “action” fans, read this book, you will not be disappointed.
Thank you very much to the publisher for providing me with a copy of the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Action packed, knowledgeable and with a sympathetic main character, this book rattled along at breakneck speed and drew me in from the beginning.

Topical and fast paced with lots of detail about the terrorist threats. Sometimes a bit convoluted but an excellent read.

When rogue CIA agent goes on the lam to help his brother, a cop in a small town, Hunter embroils himself in horrifying terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, he is too late to help his brother, who dies in his arms after uttering a few strange words. He vows revenge for his brother and his family,

I enjoyed this book although it did get very complicated sometimes - who was working for whom and what exactly they were doing there. This just needed to be clarified and the story would have flowed beautifully.

Also, after the terror attacks which are on the scale of 911, it is very much downplayed when I thought it would have had a much bigger impact on the story.

Still, a good book and I will keep an eye out for the author and hopefully another book with Hunter as the main protagonist.

Shesat

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

An engrossing spy story with intrigue and twists that keeps the reader surprised.

International security consultant Jonathan Hunter Mallory has many identities and he will never exist on any visa or hotel bill. He works in dangerous lands for special clients.

Hunter had not seen his brother for 20 years but rushes back to the US at his brother’s request. Leaving the Afghan mountains, he meets up with his brother in time to drive off an assailant but Kevin Mallory is killed and Hunter could not save him. Why were they attacked?

CIA LaRue wants to know why Winchester has become a terrorist hot spot. Terrorists - Caine and Khalifah are in Winchester. It is illegal for the CIA to operate on American soil thus Hunter is coerced into investigating while he tracks Kevin’s murderer.

Fools Lake in the Shenandoah Mountains was a retreat for Kevin, Hunter and their dad. The cabin was a safe haven and Kevin was the last to stay there. Hunter goes back to the cabin hoping to find any clues left by his brother and the violence that killed him.

I loved the consultant. The humor was reminiscent of the Best of Robert B. Parker and the twists of who was good and who was bad kept me guessing. Best book of the holidays for me

The events in the novel The Consultant take place over a week in and around Virginia. Each chapter begins with the date, time, and place where the action is happening. There are 88 chapters, and each one begins with a reminder that daylight saving time is in effect. Why? I have no idea. Does it really matter to the story? No. It just seems a pompous way of detailing date and time. The Consultant evolves in that period of time to unveil a plot so complicated that the reader barely catches up on one revelation before there are new ones. They say "trust no one.". The author has taken that to heart. He wears us down with the constant unveiling of new betrayals. While I give him credit for action, his pacing leaves a lot to be desired. Even when one thinks "this is it," one cannot be entirely confident that a new twist isn't just around the corner. I had to check twice to make sure the novel had finally ended. Yes, I read it all. Despite the laboriousness of it, there was a lot to enjoy as a reader. There should have been an intermission though so we could all catch our breath. Thanks, NetGalley, and Oceanview Publishing, for the ARC.